Robert James Fischer
Number of games in database: 998
Years covered: 1953 to 1992
Last FIDE rating: 2780
Highest rating achieved in database: 2785Overall record: +420 -86 =246 (72.2%)*
* Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
246 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

Fischer won the US Championship all eight times he played, in each case by at least a point. In the US Championship (1963/64) he achieved the only perfect score (11-0) in the history of the tournament.

In a famous article in Sports Illustrated magazine, The Russians Have Fixed World Chess, Fischer accused the Soviets of cheating: Petrosian, Geller, and Keres had drawn all 12 of the games among themselves at Curaçao. Because of this, he refused to play in the next Candidates cycle. He did play in the Sousse Interzonal (1967), but left it while leading, because of a scheduling dispute occasioned by Fischer's refusal to play on Saturday, his Sabbath.

In Reykjavik, he won the Fischer - Spassky World Championship Match (1972) by 12½-8½ to become the 11th World Chess Champion. In 1975, Fischer forfeited his title after FIDE refused to meet his conditions for a World Championship match with Anatoly Karpov. He then virtually disappeared from the public eye for nearly 20 years.

After ending his competitive career, he proposed a new variant of chess and a modified chess timing system. His idea of adding a time increment after each move is now standard, and his variant "Fischerandom" (or "Chess960") is gaining in popularity.(2)

Fischer resurfaced in 1992 to play a match against his old rival Spassky in Yugoslavia. Fischer won Fischer - Spassky (1992) 10-5 with 15 draws. The United States considered that Fischer, in playing this match in Yugoslavia, violated U.S. Treasury Department regulations that forbade transacting business with Yugoslavia. Fischer evaded authorities for twelve years until July 13, 2004, when he was arrested in Japan. On March 22, 2005, he was granted Icelandic citizenship and finally freed from Japan. He died of renal failure in Iceland on January 17, 2008 at the age of 64.

Fischer's anthology, My 60 Memorable Games, was published in 1969. It has been described as a "classic of objective and painstaking analysis,"1 and is regarded as one of the great classics of chess literature.

Eric Schiller: <focus> Sorry, your guess was wrong. The reason the game was not rated one simply because to have a game rated both players must be members of an official affiliate and Fischer was not a USCF member registered with FIDE. In any case I don't think the match was ever officially submitted for rating.

drnooo: Full on Fischers face had an intense stare, this profile mellows that aspect considerably: though I am not sure about his interview with Cavett, maybe there he looked entirely calm, but the shot of him on the cover of Life turns him into a killer of chess: here this shot just makes him look extremely competent and yes, even nice. Well, he was to many, not many who knew him truly disliked him.Take Woods for instance, there are far too many who say that the guy is just a jerk: Fischer probably never quite fit into that category.

Joshka: <He was an angry boy his entire life> And for good reason! 1.) Coming from a broken home, and not having the nurturing needed from his mother. In fact she leaves him to fend by himself when he was 16! In most states nowadays that would be criminal child neglect! 2.) Imagine devoting yourself to an endeavor, becoming the best in the world at it, but having your own country not lend support of your efforts. 3. Never even was invited to the White House for an official dinner in honor of what he accomplished in beating the Soviets at their OWN sport! 4. ) Instead had a heroes welcome in the Phillipines from Marcos. (well some leaders and country's DO get it) 5.) The Bekins Heist, robbing the owner of his personal artifacts, causing more stress and ankst to it's owner, ect. 6.) Having another country (Japan) strip you of your freedom, jail, ect. 7.) Force you to live in exile. Oh and let's not forget to mention all the years of hounding by the FBI.....uhmmm any wonder why Bobby had so much built up anger within!?? PS He never even got support from his so called friend Larry Evans when Bobby was negotiating the terms for his title defense.

Bryce101: could someone tell me where i could possibly watch the new Bobby Fischer movie, "Bobby Fischer Live" directed by Damian Chapa? i can only find trailors and i doubt it will ever be released in Australia where i live. Has anyone seen it? is it good? and are there any sites on the net that show the whole movie? thanks alot if you can help.

Once: Just seen the sci-fi movie "Inception" with Leo deCaprio. One of the characters was a certain "Robert Fischer". Doesn't play chess, but he does look a bit like Bobby. Or is that just my hyperactive imagination?

Riverbeast: <One of the characters was a certain "Robert Fischer". Doesn't play chess, but he does look a bit like Bobby. Or is that just my hyperactive imagination?>

Maybe not your own hyperactive imagination...I saw Inception last week also, and thought the same thing!

Especially when they showed the photographs of the 'Robert Fischer' character, which looked uncannily like Fischer (more so than the live actor)

And then, soon after 'Robert Fischer' is introduced, Ellen Page's character makes her own unique totem (to remind her if she was awake or dreaming...Leonardo DiCaprio's was a spinning top)....And it looks like a metal pawn

Made me wonder...Maybe Christopher Nolan (the writer and director) is into chess? Or maybe he just likes using chess symbolism

But what do people think was Fischer's best game of 1957? 1958? 1959? Et cetera. Classical games only, no blitz, simuls or the like. And pay close attention to US Championship games, because usually the last game or two of a championship was actually played in the next year.

There should be no candidates for 1969, because as TheFocus recently pointed out, this game had actually been played in 1968:

MrQuinn: To anyone's knowledge has there been any effort to do a major new biography of Fischer that would include the "lost years" in some detail? My understanding is that none of the film work being done is worth the powder it would take to blow it all to hell.

HeMateMe: Well, the 'lost years' are mostly Fischer walking the streets of Pasadena, handing out anti semetic literature, playing a few offhand games of chess against whatever strong player might be on hand. His youth and real tournament record are of the most interest.

MrQuinn: Must beg to differ. We don't know most of of what went on during the "lost years." Otherwise, they wouldn't be lost, would they? There's plenty of speculation, but no one, as yet, as shed much light on matters. Much credible light, anyway. As for Fischer's wishes, well, like any historical figure he doesn't have much say in the matter; on top of that he'd dead. He doesn't get to dictate terms from the grave. As for interest in his "best games of each year," well, how many times and how many ways has that same sort of thing been trotted out on this site or in publication? Pretty hoary stuff. At least some insight into the "lost years" will reveal something new about the man, for better or worse.

Petrosianic: <Must beg to differ. We don't know most of of what went on during the "lost years.">

We know that no public chess games were played, which is our primary interest in him. Private games may have been played, and those would be very interesting. What we do know isn't pretty. Wanting to know more is like everybody slowing down when they drive by an accident.

<As for interest in his "best games of each year," well, how many times and how many ways has that same sort of thing been trotted out on this site or in publication?>

Never, that I can recall. I can recall many discussions about his best games overall, (and those discussions are usually dominated by his few games that the average fan knows about, meaning his match games and the games from <My 60 Memorable>). But I don't remember anyone asking what was his best game of 1965. I know it puts me in a considerable minority, but I do find his games to be more interesting than his political views or private life.

BobCrisp: The 1980s seem to be a bit of a blur but Fischer was still pretty active post-Reykjavik. There were the trips to the Phillipines and Japan in 1973, the negotiations with FIDE through 1974-75, the unofficial match negotiations with Karpov in 1976, the acrimonius 1977 break with the Worldwide Church of God, the 1977 computer match; so plenty for an assiduous writer to flesh out and document. It'd also be nice to know more about Fischer's 1971 simul tour in Argentina that followed his Candidates victory over Petrosian. According to Fischer, he played in the region of 25-30 simuls, several hundred games and he was in 'great form.' Granted, Fischer was prone to exaggeration, and only a handful of game scores have turned up, but it'd be nice to know either way.

MrQuinn: You have grown so presumptuous over your years on this site, Petrosianic. "Our interest?" Whose interest might that be? Your minions? And who would they be? There is considerable interest in Fischer's life beyond just the chess, whether you find it interesting or not. The car wreck allusion is simply your opinion and poorly placed at that. He IS a figure of history, not a body beside the roadway. Please don't pretend to speak in your typical high handed way for all those who frequent the site. And don't get pedantic about a "best game discussion." The material is forty+ years old and has been commented on thoroughly by everybody from Kasparov on down. A trivial listing of what a collection of hobbyists think are his best games year to year is little more than a pleasant indulgence and it certainly ads nothing to the working knowledge of Fischer's life. If you have no intellectual curiosity about his distinctive travails on this planet, that's fine, or you're too squeamish to look, so be it, but enough already with this patronizing "Lord of Chessgames.com" attitude that so infuses your writing.

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